12/26/2025
SNOWFALL FORECAST: Snowfall will be extremely limited and isolated over the next 24 hours. The main story will be a transition to wintry mix in the coldest locations. For the vast majority of the state, including the western and southern lowlands (Huntington, Charleston, Beckley), overnight lows will remain in the 40s, ensuring all precipitation on Friday will be rain. However, in the Eastern Panhandle (Martinsburg, Harpers Ferry) and the highest mountain ridges (Snowshoe), temperatures will fall to near or just below freezing (28-32°F) tonight. As precipitation arrives Friday morning (approx. 9 AM - 10 AM), it may begin as a brief period of light snow or sleet, accumulating less than half an inch. It will quickly transition to freezing rain, creating a dangerous but brief icing event between 10 AM and 2 PM before warming temperatures change all precipitation to a cold, wet rain. No significant snow accumulation is expected, but a light glaze of ice is the primary threat in these specific areas. The 48-hour outlook shows the rain event tapering off by Saturday morning, leading to a drier and mild day. The weather focus then shifts dramatically to a powerful storm system and associated arctic cold front set to arrive late Sunday and sweep through the state on Monday, December 29th. Precipitation will begin as rain for all areas on Sunday night into Monday as temperatures climb into the 50s. However, during Monday afternoon and evening, the arctic front will cause temperatures to plummet from the 50s into the 20s and teens. This will trigger a rapid changeover from rain to snow, from west to east across the state. Snow showers, enhanced by strong westerly winds and orographic lift, will be most persistent and intense in the mountains Monday night into early Tuesday morning. This will be the first accumulating snowfall for most of the state during this forecast period. The remainder of the week looks much colder but generally quiet, with a slight chance of mountain flurries on Wednesday.
